Columbia Land Trust had a surprise visitor on the Klickitat River yesterday afternoon. Eileen Sobeck, Assistant Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was in the area touring salmon recovery projects with her regional staff and the Yakama Nation Fisheries Program when they decided to drop in on Columbia Land Trust’s Haul Road…
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The Backyard Habitat Certification Program had a special visitor on Friday. Singer-songwriter superstar Jason Mraz joined Columbia Land Trust’s Gaylen Beatty and two fifth-grade classes at Portland’s Sunnyside Elementary to put the finishing touches on a Certified Backyard Habitat. Mraz, who has been promoting urban gardens and stewardship of the land during his recent tour,…
Read MoreA late bloomer, the green banded mariposa lily (Calochortus macrocarpus ) thrills when it finally emerges. The purple-pink petals pop against the sandy hues of the arid western landscapes that are its preferred habitat. Those who happen upon one are stopped in their tracks….as Stewardship Coordinator Emily Matson was this July 19 on the Rowena…
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Ask Greg Short what he does for a living and he won’t answer with the title of his job (maintenance manager at Heirloom Orchards). Instead he answers with his passion. “I’m a sportfisherman,” Short says. “It’s not a side hobby. It’s a huge part of my life.” Last year, Short spent nearly 100 days fishing.…
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Lawns may be common, but they provide little benefit to bugs, bees, and birds—nor do they filter storm water well. That’s why Columbia Land Trust has partnered up with Pacific Northwest Urban Meadowscaping. Our collective goal is to create an easy-to-implement program that will inspire homeowners to replace their non-native grass lawns with gorgeous Willamette…
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Did you know that it takes an average of 10 years for balsamroot grown from seed to develop its first flower? And that a mature balsamroot plant can be decades old? Plant expert Barbara Robinson shared these remarkable facts when we visited our Four Sisters property for a wildflower-seed collection workshop in May. Barbara’s been…
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